


The pros and cons of breathing

by holograms



Category: Hamilton - Miranda
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Multi, Polyamory, kind of
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-02-01
Updated: 2017-02-25
Packaged: 2018-05-17 11:58:49
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 10
Words: 4,089
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5868529
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/holograms/pseuds/holograms
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>the next morning they didn’t talk about it but Thomas made them all Bloody Marys to nurse their matching headaches</p><p>and other various Alex/Eliza/Thomas prompt fills</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. the one with bloody marys

**Author's Note:**

> originally posted on tumblr from a request for more eliza/alex/tjeffs + modern college au. i can't believe people want more of this ship. what have i done.
> 
> edit 4.8.16: okay so I'm just going to dump all the prompts for this ot3 on here. they are all modern au (so far) and only vaguely connected at best. enjoy.

Most of the time they end up in Thomas’ bed because he’s the only one of them with suitable lodgings — all three of them can’t fit in Alex’s tiny dorm loft bed, and they can’t go to Eliza’s because her sisters  _cannot_ know about this, not yet, which is fine with Alex because he isn’t even sure what  _this_ is — what happened is one night Alex and Thomas continued their argument from the student government meeting to a bar across the street from campus and in order to dull the agony of their bickering Eliza ordered them all a round of shots and then they had another and another and another until they were hanging all over each other and taking a cab to Thomas’ where they drunkenly tried to figure out the logistics of three sets of limbs and two people to pleasure. The next morning they didn’t talk about it but Thomas made them all Bloody Marys to nurse their matching headaches, but as most things that go unaddressed, it intensified — and without ever intending to this depravity became a pastime.

 

It’s their vice.

 

Alex still finds Thomas insufferable (however, less so when Thomas is whimpering underneath him and begging for more and clutching at Eliza like she’s a lifeline) and Thomas claims indifference (he doubts it though when Thomas calls him _ham sandwich_ and lingers in their kisses for a little too long), and he and Eliza have never gotten along better (she keeps them grounded, she’s admittedly the smartest of them all). It’s an arrangement that works for all. They don’t dare to analyze it, lest they make a big deal out of it and they have to question their actions. All Alex knows is that it’s something that quiets the frantic buzzing in his mind, something that satisfies that itch for more, and Eliza and Thomas are both so hot that he can’t say no.

 

And now they’re here months later, tangled against each other, naked and comfortable in each other’s company, and Alex has a hard time remembering what it was like _before_ — Alex is content to lie here between them for the rest of the day but Eliza says she’s hungry and Thomas says he’ll fix something. Alex asks, “do you have anything other than easy mac?” because if Alex has to eat that fake cheese powder shit one more time he’s going to punch him. Thomas is quiet for a second and then says, “what’s _wrong_ with easy mac?” and then he and Alex start to bicker before Eliza has to give them a playful slap to silence them and she tells them to behave, and they _do_ behave — Alex ends up sucking Thomas off while Eliza slowly rides Alex, and after that they end up eating the easy mac anyway.

 

Whatever _this_ is, they aren’t going to stop.


	2. the one with a thank you

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Alex and Eliza tie Thomas up

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> for anon

Thomas hates the Hamiltons, they’re terrible — well, Alexander more so than Eliza.  He hates them because they’ve dragged him into their weird kinky sex life and worse, they make him _like_ it.

Thomas isn’t going to beg (he’s begged _enough_ ) so instead he settles for whining desperately when Alex slips out of him and collapses in a heap next to him. They surround him — he feels Alexander’s body shuddering with the jagged inhales he’s gasping down to regain his bearings, and Eliza’s careful gaze burns — and suddenly he finds himself feeling very exposed, _vulnerable_ , and he wiggles against the restraints around his wrist.

“Look how shy he is,” Eliza says, and Alexander turns and presses his head into Thomas’ shoulder and hums; Thomas has half a mind to shrug Alexander away because he’s sweaty and it’s Alex-fuckin’-Hamilton but he’s also Alex-who-just-fucked-him-into-the-mattress-until-he-came-untouched, so. He allows it. But he isn’t happy about it.

Eliza delicately removes the binds, pressing kisses to the raw, red marks left behind, murmuring, “Poor baby,” against his skin and — yeah, yeah that’s nice. And it’s even better when Eliza threads her fingers through his curls, massaging his scalp. And it’s especially nice when a Hamilton curls up on either side of him.  
  
_I hate y'all_ he means to say, but instead a, “thank you” escapes his lips.


	3. the one where thomas is tall

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Alex gives Eliza a piggy-back ride so she can kiss Thomas without having to reach up

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> for [why-i-even-bring-the-thunder](http://why-i-even-bring-the-thunder.tumblr.com/). originally posted on tumblr

“What’re you fools doing?” Thomas asks, rolling his eyes.

“Noth- _ing_ ,” Alex says, holding out the last syllable, sing-song, which of all accounts indicate that it is exactly not _nothing_  that he and Eliza are up to.  Eliza is on Alex’s back piggy-back style, her legs tight against Alex’s waist with her paisley skirt hiked up around her thighs, Alex has his hands back so he can hold her legs to support her, and Eliza has her hands resting on Alex’s shoulders.  They’ve both got dumb-ass grins on their faces and they’re almost antsy about the _nothing_  they’re doing.

“Uh-huh.” Thomas knows better.  He knows when the Hamiltons are _planning_  something.

Alex shifts Eliza so she’s sitting higher on his back, and she lets out a giggle, which is followed by a half-repressed snicker from Alex.

“Now, Alex!” Eliza says, and Thomas has only a moment to register Alex rushing towards him and worrying if Alex might drop Eliza before Eliza is face-to-face with him — which is an odd.  Both of the Hams barely pass his shoulders.

“Hi,” Eliza breathes, and then she reaches forward and grips Thomas by his hair and pulls him close, and then she’s kissing him and.  That’s nice.  He slides in his tongue against hers and deepens the kiss and with her perched on Alex’s back she actually sits a little higher than him and he has to tilt his head up a bit and it’s a whole new angle and he’s vaguely aware of Alex letting out a content but needy sigh and. It’s lovely.

Once again, Thomas curses them for being so alluring.

Eliza ends the kiss too soon, and she slides down Alex’s back and onto her feet. She straightens her skirt, looks up at Thomas, who once again is standing half a foot plus some above her.

Thomas is about to say something, because he remembers the other night when Alex was complaining _why are you so goddamn tall_ when Eliza was struggling to stand on her tip-toes to kiss Thomas and Thomas had replied _why are y’all so goddamn short_ and Thomas kind of felt bad about it later because it's not their fault that have vertical shortcomings, but then Alex tugs at Eliza’s arm, excitedly going, “Me next me next!” and clambers onto her back.

Thomas crosses his arms in annoyance because they are  _ridiculous_ , but despite himself, grins.

“You’ll never be at my level, Ham Sandwich,” Thomas says.

Eliza has a hold on Alex now — Eliza is so much stronger than people would expect — and Alex is wiggling so can inch himself up farther.

“We’ll see about that,” Alex says, and leans in to kiss Thomas, direct, his hands framing his face and drawing him in.


	4. the one with a tropical storm

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Alexander having a panic attack during a thunderstorm, Eliza and Thomas grounding him and trying to keep him calm.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> prompted by @why-i-even-bring-the-thunder at tumblr

“Ham Sandwich, it’s okay, it’s just a tropical storm—” Thomas begins, but Alex thrashes and kicks Thomas in the shin. “That hurt, you stupid fuck!”

“Thomas, please.” Eliza sharp gaze cuts, and Thomas feels sufficiently scolded. She turns her attentions to Alex, who’s currently sitting up and huddled in the blankets between Eliza and Thomas, trembling. At first Thomas had thought that Alex was being overly dramatic when the storm landed, but then Alex had buried himself under the covers and his eyes were wide with fear and Thomas knew this was _serious._

Eliza runs a hand through Alex’s hair, kisses his jaw, says, “It’s okay, Alex. We’re here with you.”

Alex hardly seems to register it because he’s too busy looking over to the window. Even though they had shut the curtains, they can still hear the windows rattling with every roll of thunder, and when the wind picks up there’s an ominous howling sound of the wind whipping around the building. Thomas could see where it reminds Alex of death. Alex has never told Thomas much about his time surviving a massive hurricane other than it was _bad_ , but Eliza has told him some things in hushed whispers and well, Thomas doesn’t blame Alex for dissolving into panic. Thomas tries to help, tries to be the counterpart to Eliza to help steady Alex in the hurricane of panic within him. He doesn’t want to weird Alex out too much because caring isn’t Thomas’s _thing_ with him, but goddamn he feels compelled to. Good thing Alex is too distracted to think about it being Thomas that’s whispering sweet things in his ear.

Alex manages to calm down some, but there’s a clap of thunder that’s so close it lights up the night sky, illuminating their bedroom, and the thunder follows right after, and Alex cries out.

“No no no,” Alex whines, rocking forward in the bed, “it’s happening again, we have to go, we have—” He stops and buries his face in his hands and makes a sound that’s akin to a wail, and then looks up frantic, and his chest is heaving and then he reaches out beside him, grabbing Thomas’s arm with one hand and Eliza’s with his other. “Oh god, I can’t breathe, I’m drowning, I can’t breathe—”

“Alexander, listen to me. It’s okay. You need to calm down, babe,” Eliza softly says as Thomas rubs small circles on Alex’s back. Thomas has seen Alex in many ways — ecstatic, sad, angry, bored, furious — but never scared and that’s enough to make Thomas a little worried, too.

“It’s okay,” Eliza says again, and she really does have that knack for talking Alex down — Alex turns to look at her and takes in a deep inhale and lets it out. It shudders in his chest and he squeaks on a sob but it’s good. He’s breathing.

Eliza smiles and says, “ _Good_. See, it’s okay. I’m here, Thomas is here. We’re safe.”

Alex looks to her, to Thomas, and back to her again. “Betsy? Tom?” he asks, as if only noticing them.

“Yeah. We’re here, Alexander.” Thomas wraps his arm around Alex, squeezes him. “Lie down with us. Get comfy.”

Eliza and Thomas curl up on either side of Alex, framing him like parentheses. Alex is damp with panic-sweat but his breathing has evened out into a steady rhythm.

“Thanks,” Alex says, after a few minutes of lingering silence. He turns to kiss them both, and then mumbles, “Glad you’re here. Sometimes I forget.”

“Well, we’re for you when you do,” Eliza says, and Thomas doesn’t say anything but he kisses Alex’s neck to reassure and he feels Alex breathe in, and then breathe out. Thomas and Eliza match it, the three of them aligned.


	5. the one with three

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> for anon on tumblr, for prompt _"oh no our hatesex somehow evolved into actually caring about each other over time"_

The sex was really _really_ good, and in the beginning that was enough to continue it even though Alex hates that macaroni-loving Virginian asshole, but now there’s a funny flutter in Alex’s chest when he wakes up and the first thing he sees is the expanse of Thomas’s strong back and Alex presses his face between his shoulder blades and kisses him there — at first it had been a joke, something sickly saccharine to tease Thomas but now it’s a habit and Alex really tries to not think of it too much, nor does he dwell on how much he loves what comes next, when Thomas grumbles awake and turns over and nuzzles his face into Alex’s shoulder and mumbles, “g'morning,” and Alex definitely doesn’t think about how much he loves how Thomas’s accent is much thicker in the morning. They lie there pressed up against each other, with Eliza at Alex’s back, and they breathe together just _being_ before they can think to be any other way. He loved Eliza first and he can’t quite bring himself to say he loved Thomas next, but it’s something near.

  
+

  
There are some times where Thomas isn’t sure if he belongs with them. He knows where his place is in their bed (underneath them; tied up; his head between Eliza’s thighs; Alex on his dick and riding him hard and unrelenting; his position changing when they sleep, sometimes between them and sometimes on the outer edge which sometimes makes him feel like an endnote but the one next to him is always sure to wrap their arm around him when they doze off), but when they aren’t in bed he isn’t sure. Like now, when Eliza and Alex talk about their daughter’s birthday party, Thomas detaches from the conversation because he isn’t sure what he contributes and he goes to leave but Eliza grabs him by the arm and says, “You’re going to be there,” and it’s not a question of _if_ Thomas realizes and then Alex nods and adds, “yeah, Angie adores you.” There’s a split second where Thomas wants to scoff and tell them that he doesn’t want to be included in their family but that’s a lie so he just smiles and says, “Of course.”

  
+

  
Eliza doesn’t consider herself to be a genius — it’s hard to when she spends so much time with two genuine geniuses — but she does have to give herself credit where it’s due: her greatest feat of having the two aforementioned geniuses reconcile to something that somewhat resembles affection. Alex and Thomas are a lot to handle but also that’s good because it means she’s never bored, and even though they may bicker with each other they always _always_ worship her. “You make a lady feel special,” she tells them when they press in on either side of her, covering her in kisses and they finish each other’s sentences — “so beautiful,” Thomas says and then Alex says, “our Eliza,” and they trade off until their mouths are too busy to talk. It’s lovely, and she is sure to capture each moment, like now when there’s a rare moment of Alex leaning on Thomas’s shoulder while they watch tv with their hands intertwined. Her heart aches for them and she wants to be with them, so she lies cross their laps and Alex and Thomas don’t part hands but lift them so they can place them on Eliza’s stomach. Whatever it was that began with them, Eliza thinks, they can finish it the way they want.


	6. the one with a fake boyfriend

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> a fill months ago for why-i-even-bring-the-thunder; _TJeff/Eliza "this guy(or girl) wouldnt leave me alone so i told him you were my boyfriend(or girlfriend) so please play along" AU_

Eliza is minding her own business when Thomas Jefferson, of all people, slides up next to her at the bar.

“Um. Hi?” Eliza doesn’t know much about him other than what Alex tells her. And Alex has nothing good to say. “Can I help you?”

Thomas looks over his shoulder and drags one hand through his curly hair before turning back to Eliza with a renewed look of desperation in his eyes.

“Help me, Elizabeth Schuyler. You’re my only hope,” Thomas says in a rush, and Eliza has to give him kudos for creativity, although cliché. Thomas grabs Eliza’s elbow, leans in and says, “there’s this British guy over there who won’t leave me alone and I told him you’re my date.”

Eliza glances across the room and sees a white guy craning his neck to look in Thomas’ direction and then waves at them when he sees that Eliza is looking.

“Please,” Thomas begs, and he sounds so pathetic that Eliza sighs and says, “sure,” and before she could say anything else Thomas pulls her into a kiss. It’s tender but alluring, and Eliza parts her lips and lets Thomas slide his tongue in against hers and she places a hand on his chest and then Thomas pulls away and it’s over, the whole thing lasted probably seven seconds but she’s left breathless.

To keep from meeting each other’s uncomfortable gaze, they look over to British guy, who is now flushing red and trying to talk to the guy next to him with floopy brown hair.

Thomas and Eliza glance back to each other, and they give each other a rather childish high five, and Thomas orders them both a round of shots. They down the liquor in one go, and then another, and Thomas leans on the bar with this elbows and smiles at Eliza and Eliza wonders why Alex hates this guy.

“Ya know,” Thomas begins, his southern drawl clawing it’s way forward with the alcohol, “you’re a much better kisser than Alex.” And. Oh. It makes sense now. Ha.

“You don’t say,” Eliza says, and she’s laughing behind her glass and Thomas looks confused by the whole thing. She sets her glass down, tugs on Thomas’s sleeve and says, “then let’s tell Alexander this,” and Thomas follows her out the bar.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The guy hitting on Thomas is George III.


	7. the one with a birthday

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Alex and Thomas plan for Eliza's birthday.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> written 4/22/16 for anon on tumblr with the prompt for the ot3 + someone's birthday

Thomas insists on a theme (“let me guess — Paris,” Alex had said, and Thomas replied, “fuck you, you don’t know me”) but then Thomas had proceeded to tell his plans to make their living room look like a Parisian café and he animatedly tells about how he can get an Eiffel Tower cutout at the party store and follows that up with, “I can play the violin while you read her poetry. We'll serenade the fuck out her.”

“Classy.” Alex sighs. “You know Eliza doesn’t like a fuss made over her on her birthday.”

“But she deserves it,” Thomas protests and Alex shrugs because well, Thomas isn’t wrong.

It’s pretty much a failure — Thomas almost burns the quiche and Alex’s banner sucks (“ _It is your birthday_ ,” Thomas reads, “seriously? That’s what you had to say, Mr. Wordsmith?”) and a disagreement over which wine to have turns into an argument, but they straighten up—

(“There,” Thomas says, fixing Alex’s collar, “you actually look handsome when you try,” and Alex grumbles but he has to admit, he does look damn nice in the clothes Thomas bought for him)

—in time for Eliza to come home, and when she comes in the door to see them standing next to each other and grinning as they shout “happy birthday!” she sets her bag down and beams.

“My sweet boys,” Eliza says, striding over to them and kissing both. Thomas keens, Alex mumbles, “love you,” and Eliza takes one of their hands, Alex’s in her right and Thomas’ in her left. “I’m surprised you managed to pull this off without fighting.”

Alex and Thomas share a look before returning their gaze to Eliza.

“Anything for you,” Alex says, and Thomas nods and leans down to kiss her hand.

With her, there’s a balance.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i had to retrain myself from Alex making the comment that he wished they would Eiffel Tower him


	8. the one with a compromising situation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Eliza catches Alex and Thomas in a compromising situation.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Written 4/23/16 for why-i-even-bring-the-thunder

Alexander knows it isn’t the most mature thing ever but he’s determined to take the book from Jefferson.  It becomes a tug-of-war between them — that is, until Jefferson lets go and Alexander ends up falling backwards on his ass.

But as Alexander falls he grabs Jefferson’s fuchsia coat, looking for something to hold onto, and Jefferson ends up falling with him, both of them landing on the floor with an _oomph_. It knocks the air out of Alexander and it takes him a moment to fully realize that Jefferson is laying on top of him.  It seems as though Jefferson is confused too, Alexander has a good view of his blinking befuddled state that’s only inches away.

“Should I leave you two alone, or…?”

Alexander and Jefferson turn their heads (knocking foreheads and cursing each other) to see Eliza standing in the door way. Immediately they start explaining and struggling to get up, but it doesn’t really work — they’re talking over each other (“he had a book” “never listens” “dumbass” “pushed me down” “I did not!” “tried putting me in a headlock” “shut your mouth!”) and Jefferson steps on Alexander’s coat he tries to get up and slips and falls back down and they start what must look like a horizontal fistfight and _okay_ that’s their groins rubbing against each other, and finally Jefferson has the sense to roll off of Alexander.

Jefferson lies on the floor, panting, as Alexander sits up and waves his hands to Eliza. “It isn’t what it looks like,” Alexander says, but Eliza just smiles, walks over to them and kneels between them, her dress fanning out elegantly.

“And what if it _were_ to be what it looked like?” she asks and she runs her hand over Alexander’s breeches where he’s showing hard.

“Ah,” Alexander says, swallowing. He looks over to Jefferson and says, “I think we could be agreeable,” and Jefferson nods.

“Good,” Eliza says. “Now do as I say.”


	9. the one with the magazine cover

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For the prompt "Imagine Eliza and Thomas' reaction to Alex being on the cover of GQ looking fine as fuck" 
> 
> Originally written on 9/20/16, edited for improvements.

Alex comes home and Eliza and Thomas are both waiting for him. They don’t look happy.

"Uh, hey?”  Alex smiles.

Their mood doesn't improve.

'Why didn’t you tell us?” Eliza asks, harsh, and Thomas can’t even speak, he’s so emotional. Alex thinks _oh god, what did I fuck up this time?_ and he starts going over everything he could have done wrong. Did he drink Thomas’ organic almond milk that he has shipped weekly from Kentucky? Did he accidentally wear Eliza’s underwear again? Did he forget to pick up a child ( _which one????_ ) at school again?

Eventually, Eliza picks something off the coffee table, holds it out, and...oh.

Thomas finally speaks.  "So _this_  is why you didn’t want us to go with you to the photoshoot!!!!” and points vigorously to the magazine that Eliza holds.

Alex looks at the cover and wow, he didn’t even recognize himself at first. GQ really knows what they're doing.

“I’m sorry, yeah I guess," Alex says.  "I wasn’t sure about some of the things it’s a bit different than my usual—”

He gets dragged to the bedroom, like, _dragged_ and now Alex thinks  _FUCK did I say something bad in the interview???? what!???_ and he keeps trying to ask but Thomas throws him to the bed and he and Eliza start taking off Alex’s clothes as Alex tries to inquire.

“Please hush, cover-boy husband,” Eliza says, and when Thomas starts going down on him and Eliza kisses him as she lightly tugging on his hair that he realizes his _fault_ is that he's too damn sexy.

Alex breathes a sigh of relief. Finally, a fuck up out of his control.

He was born this way.


	10. the one with touching

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> written in May 2016

“Hamilton, stop,” Thomas hisses through his teeth, quietly enough for only Alexander to hear. He means to say it direct, an order, but it twists with a whine brought on by his embarrassment, and it only encourages Alexander more.

“I mean it.”

“No,” Alexander says, and he continues running his hand up and down Thomas’s inner thigh, hidden by the large table. Thomas is trying to listen to whatever dumb shit Adams is saying but it’s really difficult when on each stroke, Alexander’s hand gets closer and closer to his crotch. He’s doing it on purpose, Thomas knows, trying to make him lose his composure — and Thomas hates that it’s working, his face heating up and sweat running down his back and his breeches are getting a little too tight in the front, and goddamn, Alexander notices all of this and he’s so fucking smug. Working him up here in a cabinet meeting.

“Alexander, _please_ ,” he says, but doesn’t realize how loudly he says it until everyone in the room turns to him.

“Have you got something to say to Hamilton?” Washington asks, sighing, like he’s prepared for a battle. But instead of redcoats, it’s just round fifty-four between Secretaries of State and Treasury.

And Thomas is thoroughly humiliated, being called out, but Alexander is not; he turns to Thomas, says, “Well, Thomas?”

Thomas meets his gaze. Alexander’s fingertips dance out a rhythm on his thigh, looks at Thomas imploringly. And. Well.

“No, please continue,” Thomas says, and slumps slightly in his chair. Five seconds later and the incident is forgotten, but Thomas cannot, not with how Alexander’s hand keeps working itself higher and higher, rubbing and stroking, until—

—Thomas snaps his legs together, coughs to hide his yelp.

Alexander’s hand is now trapped between Thomas’s thighs, right at the junction of his hardness. Beside him, Thomas hears Alexander huff and then feels him twist his wrist slightly so he can cup him through his breeches.

“I’ll tell your wife,” Thomas whispers as he leans over to Alexander, like he has something to note — official government business.

Both look out the window where Eliza and Martha Washington sit on the lawn, smiling and talking. They catch Eliza’s eye — she waves, and Alexander waves back and blows her a kiss before dipping his head towards Thomas’s ear, close enough to feel his hot breath on his skin.

“She’s the one who told me to do this,” Alexander says, and the suggestion, the deep rasp of Alexander’s voice makes Thomas shudder all over, and press up into his hand.

**Author's Note:**

> you can always find me on tumblr @acanofpeaches and yell at me about hamilton or prompt me things


End file.
